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Rain wear on the cheap
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Economic rainwear?

I went back to re-read Dan’s article, “Winter wear on the cheap”.

I hope you all can help with a related problem. I’ve been wanting to get a rain jacket, and possible rain pants, primarily for running in the rain. It should also be usable for riding in the rain, but that is secondary for me; useful for the times I am caught in the rain when I am already out riding. If it is a good hard rain outside, I’ll still go for a run, but I typically won’t go for a ride. I am more likely to simply put the bike on the trainer.

Well, I started looking at rainwear. Goretex this and breathable layer that. Bottom line, it seems like true rain jackets and pants would set me back $250. Well, that ain’t happening.

Now, I also don’t want to get down to cutting armholes in garbage bags either. But what is the best way to keep dry for less than $100?



--

~~Bob
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Re: Rain wear on the cheap [Bob] [ In reply to ]
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Check out GoLite products. They're very inexpensive, though I have no personal experience with how well they work. Performance has the 'Reach' jacket on sale right now for $70. You can probably pick up the matching pants direct, www.golite.com, for ~$40.

Other great gear sites inlude:
www.sierrtradingpost.com
www.rei-outlet.com
www.mec.ca
www.campmor.com

Good luck.
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Re: Rain wear on the cheap [Bob] [ In reply to ]
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Bonus: these are Cdn dollars

1) any decent rain shell on sale $20 (note, this is a simple rain shell a la Tour, not the multi-zippered ventilated thingy that I prefer which is $100)

2) pants, do not skimp here, get decent ones, on sale $60

3) dishwashing gloves for under your other gloves $5

4) waterproof covers for your shoes, on sale $20 (I have never used the neoprene booties, I use the waterproof canvas ones that velcro up the back - when tucked under your tights these last, under torrential conditions, for a little over an hour and then some water starts to get in, and then all hell breaks loose)

5) convert to US dollars and then go and buy a nice bottle of wine


TonyG

What is Enoch Root?
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Re: Rain wear on the cheap [Bob] [ In reply to ]
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I haven't found a waterproof material that breathes enough during aerobic exercise. The result is you get wet from one's own perspiration.

There is an old-school bike solution that I haven't tried: the bike poncho. The material doesn't breathe, but it ventilates extremely well since the entire underside is open to the air. It does require full bike fenders to prevent tire spray from getting you wet.

My basic game plan is to get wet but stay warm.

For running in warm rain, I prefer going shirtless and just wearing a brimmed hat to keep the rain out of my face.
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Re: Rain wear on the cheap [Todd Scott] [ In reply to ]
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I went to target got one of those long rain ponchos. Took a pair of scissors to it, cut it to fit and it worked like a charm. Only problem is I let someone on my bike team use it. They liked it so much they misplaced it and only found it on rainy days. Total cost under $7. And since it buttoned in front it ventilated rather well also. Another benefit if you lose/lend it your only out $7 not $150+.
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Re: Rain wear on the cheap [Bob] [ In reply to ]
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[reply]Economic rainwear?[/reply]

in the bike world this seem to be an oxymoron.

It has become relatively easy to find decent running gear for this regard. I still remember my first ASICS goretex running jacket back in the day. It cost way out of proportion to its benefit I suppose. As technology has developed, you can now get many types of "wonder fabric" that do a good job for reasonable prices no less (many of which I own). There are so many different fabrics though, that finding just what you want may take a few purchases to find out.

Being somewhat new to cycling, especially now that I live in a climate where cold weather raingear is required, I have been doing the search for appropriate cycling clothing. I have asked many people and the responses for the best stuff generally are quite similar. More importantly, and back to the original topic, the answers to the best gear tends to have a direct correlation to price (I'm sure you know which direction the correlation goes). Therefore, it appears that buying quality initially may equate to cheap in the long run. It is hard to justify the initial price in some cases though. All I know is that I still have that ASICS running jacket now, about 12 years and the price divided by years of durable, reliable and predictable use equates to a small price overall.

Sorry for the rambling, this is my attempt at self talk to enable myself to buy some Assos stuff.
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